Psychology MA (Hons) / BSc (Hons)

For Entry: September

Duration: 4 years

School: Social Sciences

Why Dundee

What makes us who we are? Is it the way our brains function? Is it how we are brought up? Or is it the society we live in?

As a Psychology student you will learn how to use a wide variety of approaches to answer these questions and will have the opportunity to play an active part in furthering our understanding of the human mind and behaviour.

Why study this course at Dundee?

At Dundee you will be a part of a vibrant School in which teaching and research are carried out at world class standards. We are committed to a teaching environment of the highest possible standard and independent surveys show that both the quality review bodies and our students believe we are achieving it.

All of our lecturers are actively involved in internationally recognised research. We feel that this is very important for your degree. The science of psychology is constantly changing as new discoveries are made and so it is vital that you are taught the latest theories and developments in the subject.

Research apprenticeship scheme

Our great strength at Dundee is human experimental psychology focusing on three core areas: language, cognition and perception; neuroscience and development; and social identity. We have built up one of the strongest visual cognition research groups in the world and are particularly renowned for our work on eye movements and reading.

At Dundee, you will have the opportunity to become an active member of this research community through our research apprenticeship scheme during Level 4, when you carry out your dissertation. Our research wing houses extensive research facilities and a teaching laboratory, fully equipped for lecture classes and laboratory practical classes.

What is so good about this course?

Our Psychology Community

Our School is well equipped with dedicated computer labs and a common room for our students to socialise and relax. Students are encouraged to become involved in all aspects of the life of the School with apprenticeship and mentorship schemes, an active School forum, and residential trips for staff and students. We also have a very active and popular undergraduate psychology society (DUPS), run by the students, for the students.

Our students rate us as No.1 and to prove it we gave 5 people the chance to sample student life for 2 days.
Check out their experience on testdrive.dundee.ac.uk

It is possible to study for most of our honours degrees in three years if you have the required grades and subjects as listed in the Entry Requirements section. You study levels 2-4 below.

Typical Degree Programme

Level 1

Level 1 provides the fundamental grounding that you need to become a psychologist:

PY11001 Introductory Psychology 1 Semester 1, 20 credits

The module provides an overview over the core areas of contemporary Psychology. Lectures will introduce the student to the history and current questions of Psychology in areas such as Social and Developmental Psychology, Cognition, Abnormal and Biological Psychology. The module also provides an introduction to methods in psychological research.

PY12002 Introductory Psychology 2 Semester 2, 20 credits

This module provides a further introduction to three areas in Psychology. In the section on Social Psychology the course will explore the ways in which individuals interact with each other and behave in groups. The module will also cover the area of Individual Differences where particular attention will be paid to the aspect of personality. Finally, the section on Cognition and Perception will explore the process of perception, memory and attention. The module will also further develop psychological research skills through participation in practical projects, the study of the principles of experimental design and some basic statistical analyses.

Plus 4 other non-Psychology modules.

Level 2

Armed with the fundamentals, you can now explore more detailed aspects of psychology in number of areas such as Cognition, Biological Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Language. Concurrently you will learn about research methodology, statistics and critical thinking in workshops and lab classes that run alongside lectures.

PY21001 Understanding the Mind Semester 1, 20 credits

The module provides a grounding in theory and method in contemporary experimental psychology and covers: (1) cognitive neuropsychology; (2) human perception, sensation, cognition and emotion; and (3) psycholinguistics. The aim is to give a broad overview of the structure and functional consequences of the human mind. Research skills are developed through practical work and study of the principles of experimental design, statistical analysis of data, interpretation of results and scientific reporting. Academic skills such as argument building are also developed via class workshops.

PY22002 Individual Development Semester 2, 20 credits

The module develops the study of theory and method in contemporary experimental psychology by discussing: (1) cognitive, social and linguistic development throughout the lifespan; (2) personality; and (3) mental health. The aim is to give students a sense of how the human mind develops and diverges to create unique individuals. Students undertake related practical projects and apply their research skills in the design and interpretation of experiments and the statistical analysis and reporting of data. Academic writing and critical evaluation skills continued to be developed in class workshops.

PY22003 Research Skills for Psychologists Semester 2, 20 credits

The Research Skills for Psychologists module gives students hands on experience of the entire research process, from designing an experiment through to collecting, analysing and reporting the data. The course also introduces the use of a statistical software program (SPSS) to allow students to run advanced statistical analyses with relative ease. The aim of this course is to actively develop students’ research skills through participation in a semester long class project which involves identifying their own psychological research questions and exploring ways in which they might be developed further.

Plus 3 other non-Psychology modules.

Level 3

The knowledge and skills gained from the first two years can now be consolidated and extended. You will study eight 15-credit modules covering the latest developments in:

Level 4

At this last stage in your training as a psychologist you will not only learn about topics at the forefront of current psychological knowledge, but also be able to contribute to this fast-moving research community. You will be able to choose three advanced and specialised courses taught in small group seminars, which address topics at the frontiers of contemporary psychological research.

You will also carry out an investigation of a topic of your own choice under the guidance of a member of staff, which you will write up as a dissertation.

Although examinations, written and online, are the principal form of assessment, coursework also forms an important part of your degree.

The balance between coursework and exams varies over the four levels of our degree.

Level 1

Assessment in both modules is based on 49% coursework, 3% experiment participation and 48% examination.

Level 2

The 'Understanding the Mind’ and Individual Development' modules are both 50% coursework, 3% experiment participation and 47% examination. The Research Skills for Psychologists module is 50% coursework and 50% examination.

Level 3

The two 'Research Skills' modules are 50% coursework and 50% exam. The remaining 6 modules are all 20% coursework and 80% examination.

Level 4

Assessment of Advanced Modules takes two formats: some are 100% examination and others are 33% coursework and 67% examination. The dissertation module is 100% coursework.

Employability

Our psychology degree gives you fantastic preparation for a wide range of careers. So whether you want to pursue a career in psychology or not, our degree offers an unrivalled set of transferable skills. Psychology graduates are valued by employers for their ability to think critically, handle data and present information. The communication skills you will learn will also be invaluable in any walk of life.

We also run a successful research apprenticeship scheme in which students are trained to be a research assistant and will conduct psychology research with a member of staff. The aim of the scheme is to provide students with valuable work and research experience. The transferrable skills you will gain from this will improve your CV and help your job prospects.

Psychology Careers

There are a wide range of careers within psychology that you can follow after your degree including:

For most of these professional psychology careers you will need to do a postgraduate degree. Entry into these programmes requires that your degree is recognised by the British Psychological Society. Our degrees have this recognition.

Careers outside of Psychology

Our graduates have also entered into a wide range of careers outside of psychology including nursing, marketing, teaching, sales and advertising, human resources, the civil service, management consulting and clinical trial management.

Professional Accreditation

This recognition means that when you graduate you will be eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration, which is crucial for moving into careers in psychology or postgraduate study.

Satisfying the BPS Graduate Basis for Recognition requires that you meet two criteria: first you must achieve at least a 2.2 in your degree and pass your dissertation; second, if you are taking a joint Honours degree, you must take all four of the Level 3 modules over your final two years and must also complete a dissertation.

Entry Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements, please note qualifications have to be obtained at the first sitting of examinations.

Please note that the entry requirements in our printed prospectus may be subject to change. The entry requirements listed below are up to date and should be referred to in case of any discrepancy.

Courses starting 2015

None, but see requirements for other Joint Honours subjects
BSc applicants who wish to choose modules from the School of Life Sciences in Level 1 must ensure they also satisfy those entry requirements - check the Life Sciences overview webpage"

Courses starting 2016

None, but see requirements for other Joint Honours subjects
BSc applicants who wish to choose modules from the School of Life Sciences in Level 1 must ensure they also satisfy those entry requirements - check the Life Sciences overview webpage"

A relevant HND with grade BB in the Graded Units with appropriate Psychology Units

Scottish Baccalaureate

Pass with BB at Advanced Higher in Psychology and another subject

SWAP Access

EDEXCEL

A relevant BTEC Extended Diploma with DDD

Advanced Diploma

Grade A with ASL-A Level at B

Welsh Baccalaureate

Pass with A Levels at AA

European Baccalaureate

75% overall

Fees & Funding

There have been many changes to the arrangements for funding students entering higher education in recent years, yet a degree from the University of Dundee, with its high rate of employment success, remains a cost-effective option.

The fees you pay will depend on your fee status. Your fee status is determined by us using the information you provide on your application. Find out more about fee status.

Fee category

Fees for students starting 2015

Scottish students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Tuition fees for Overseas (non-EU) students are guaranteed for the length of your course. This means that the tuition fee you pay in your first year (shown above) is the same fee you will pay for each year of your course. We guarantee that this will not increase while you are studying with us. The only exceptions to this are our MBChB Medicine, BSc Medical Sciences and BDS Dentistry degrees which charge a different tuition for the clinical years.